The red diamond fish is known scientifically as the Bin Diao snapper (Etelis carbunculus Cuvie). Like the longtail snapper and multi-raker snapper, it belongs to the Lutjanidae family, and all three species look remarkably similar.

In terms of size, however, the longtail snapper is the smallest. The eleven-jin specimen Chu Mingcheng had caught was considered exceptionally large for its species.

The Bin Diao and multi-raker snappers, on the other hand, can grow to over a meter in length, with the Bin Diao reaching up to 1.27 meters.

But his catch was clearly off the charts. It not only drew a crowd of nearby anglers but also roused the boat's captain, who had just retired for the night.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, a red diamond fish this size... I've been going out to sea for over twenty years, and this is the first time I've ever seen one!"

He didn't even ask Chu Mingcheng about buying the fish. A catch like this would be auctioned the moment it hit shore—it would never pass through regular fishmonger channels.

"Captain, do you have a tape measure? I want to measure the fish, and then maybe you could help me take a picture."

Under normal circumstances, a fish this large would never make it home alive, but the boat's situation was special. Plus, the fish needed preservation while fresh, so all he could do was hold it up for a commemorative photo.

As soon as Chu Mingcheng spoke, a crew member quickly approached and handed him a tape measure.

This guy was on the ball!

He took the tape measure, handed his phone to the crew member for photos, and then began measuring the red diamond fish.

Out of water, the larger the fish, the harder it is for them to move, especially when pulled directly from the depths.

This red diamond fish's massive mouth could still open and close, but once on deck, it barely moved.

Chu Mingcheng squatted down and safely measured its length: 137 centimeters.

The crew member snapped a picture of the measurement. Then another crew member brought over a scale, and several of them worked together to move the fish onto it. The weight read 65.8 jin—32.9 kilograms.

Seeing the numbers, the captain sighed with a hint of regret. "Just a little short. The current record is apparently 74 jin, with a length of 145 centimeters."

"Catching one this close in our domestic waters is satisfying enough. I'm not hoping to break records." Chu Mingcheng, who had made a huge profit, felt no regret.

The record fish the captain mentioned was caught in foreign waters, where conditions were different.

Honestly, Chu Mingcheng was quite tempted to try his luck in foreign waters. He just didn't know how difficult it would be to obtain fishing licenses abroad.

He squatted beside the fish and had the crew member take a solo picture, then checked the result.

This crew member's photography skills were impressive. The fish in the picture looked two sizes bigger than him.

Then the captain came over for a photo as well.

He certainly wouldn't miss the chance to publicize a fish like this. It was excellent advertising that could attract more anglers.

Once all photos were taken, Chu Mingcheng immediately requested an extra-large foam box—the kind used for tuna—and had the crew member pack and preserve the fish.

Afterward, he asked the captain how much the fish would likely sell for once they returned to shore.

The captain considered for a moment. "It really depends on what people are willing to offer. Usually it's auctioned directly on shore."

"I think you could get at least twenty thousand for this one. At that price or higher, you wouldn't be losing out."

Twenty thousand yuan meant a price of three hundred yuan per jin.

Compared to its beautiful cousin, the longtail snapper, with its slender body and tail fins that swayed like dancing ribbons, the plain-looking Bin Diao snapper won with lower price and higher yield.

In other words, a Bin Diao's price couldn't compare to a longtail snapper—less than half the price.

The market price for iced Bin Diao ranged roughly between eighty-five and one hundred twenty yuan, though specific prices varied by region. It would definitely be much cheaper here in Qiongzhou.

The captain's twenty-thousand estimate was largely due to hype and rarity.

If sold at market price, it would probably only fetch two hundred yuan per jin.

But even at twenty thousand, Chu Mingcheng had already recovered his investment for this trip. He was now considering whether he should try to earn back all the money he'd spent since arriving in Qiongzhou.

A near-record-breaking Bin Diao snapper had all the surrounding anglers fired up.

Those who had been using low-power electric reels for smaller fish all rented large electric reels and heavy boat rods from the crew.

Not only that, but the Spanish mackerel bait on the boat also became a hot seller.

The captain stood on deck with a smile for a while before leisurely heading back to sleep with his hands behind his back.

He wasn't the only one in charge—there was a first mate who alternated shifts with him, so he could sleep soundly.

It seemed the Bin Diao had used up all of Chu Mingcheng's luck. For the next two hours, he only caught two amberjacks just over ten jin each, also known as red gan.

At market price, the two fish together were only worth about fifteen hundred yuan—nothing compared to his earlier catches.

These two fish needed bleeding, so he left them for the crew to handle.

It was nearly three in the morning. With only three hours until sunrise, Chu Mingcheng replaced his frayed size 30 leader with size 20 and switched to a smaller hook.

He didn't bother changing the main line—too much trouble.

This time, he no longer used live Spanish mackerel as bait, but switched to Antarctic krill to fish for smaller species.

Switching to smaller bait indeed brought results. The hook-up rate for five or six-jin deep-sea groupers, red snappers, and Bin Diao was quite high.

By the time the sky began to lighten, Chu Mingcheng had caught a total of thirteen fish.

Tonight's harvest had been excellent, and he didn't plan to continue fishing. He packed up his gear, returned to his cabin to wash his face, and then went for breakfast.

This afternoon, the boat would arrive near North Reef in the Xisha Islands. At that time, you could rent a small boat for trolling, but it would cost an extra five hundred yuan per hour.

He just didn't know if freediving and spearfishing were allowed. He had brought all his gear and would ask in the afternoon.

...

At noon, Chu Mingcheng was woken by a crew member calling everyone for lunch.

He got up, washed his face, and went outside to find that the boat had already reached North Reef in Xisha.

The azure sea and blue sky weren't just movie titles.

This kind of beautiful tropical island scenery was something he could never see back home.

He took out his head-mounted camera to film the stunning scenery and also took a few pictures with his phone.

Looking at the photos, he found that his photography skills needed work—the real scenery was much more beautiful. He kept them anyway. When he had time, he would buy a decent camera and learn proper photography.

After lunch, Chu Mingcheng found a crew member and told him he wanted to go freediving.

But because he didn't have a dive buddy, the captain refused.

Fortunately, one of the crew members knew how to dive. Although he only had a one-star certification, it was sufficient.

The crew member's tip was also five hundred yuan per hour. Chu Mingcheng didn't mind the price.

As long as there were fish, the harvest from spearfishing would be much more direct than angling.

He and the crew member stretched on deck. When their bodies were slightly warm, they put on their gear and took a small trolling boat to a nearby shallow reef.

The crew member also had diving equipment, and he even brought an oxygen tank for emergencies.

If the oxygen tank was opened because of Chu Mingcheng, the cost would be on him.

But he didn't care at all—he wouldn't give the crew member that opportunity.

The small boat went directly to shallow waters near shore, and the two of them disembarked.

Although the crew member wore a wetsuit, he also had a life jacket over it.

His job was to float on the surface and monitor Chu Mingcheng's safety. He would only intervene if there was danger; otherwise, he didn't need to do anything.

Chu Mingcheng put on his fins and entered the water from the boat. The crystal-clear water allowed him to see everything underwater with perfect clarity.

Xisha wasn't just a fishing paradise—it was also a spearfishing paradise.